Vehicle lamp

Abstract

A vehicle lamp is provided. The vehicle lamp includes a lens disposed on an optical axis of the vehicle lamp, the optical axis extending in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp, the lens comprising a first concave lens portion; a plurality of light emitting elements disposed to a rear side of the lens and around the optical axis at regular intervals in a circumferential direction, the plurality of light emitting elements comprising at least one first light emitting element disposed to a rear side of the first concave lens portion; at least one first reflector corresponding to the at least one first light emitting element and disposed between the corresponding first light emitting element and the optical axis, wherein the first reflector comprises a first reflecting surface which reflects light from the corresponding first light emitting element toward the first concave lens portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle lamp comprising:
 a lens disposed on an optical axis of the vehicle lamp, the optical axis extending in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp, the lens comprising a convex lens portion and a first concave lens portion, the first concave lens portion having a front focal point in front of the lens with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp; 
 a plurality of light emitting elements disposed to a rear side of the lens with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp and around the optical axis in a circumferential direction; and 
 a plurality of reflectors corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements, each of the reflectors being disposed between a corresponding one of the light emitting elements and the optical axis, 
 wherein each of the reflectors comprises a reflecting surface which reflects light from the corresponding one of the light emitting elements toward the concave lens portion, 
 wherein a sectional shape of the reflecting surface, taken along a plane including a light emitting center of the corresponding one of the light emitting elements and the optical axis, is an elliptical shape having a first focal point in a vicinity of the light emitting center of the corresponding one of the light emitting elements and a second focal point in front of the concave lens portion, and 
 wherein the plurality of reflectors are arranged to share the same second focal point; 
 the first concave lens portion being formed as a recess in a front surface of the convex lens portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , wherein the second focal point is located in a vicinity of the front focal point of the concave lens portion. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , wherein the concave lens portion comprises a Fresnel lens portion. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , wherein a focal ratio of the concave lens portion is less than or equal to one. 
     
     
       5. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , further comprising a metallic member on which the plurality of light emitting elements are supported, wherein the metallic member comprises a plurality of radiation fins on an outer peripheral side of the plurality of light emitting elements with respect to the optical axis. 
     
     
       6. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , further comprising a lens holder comprising a front end surrounding the lens to hold the lens, a rear end to which the plurality of reflectors are fixed, and a portion on which the light emitting elements are arranged along the circumferential direction. 
     
     
       7. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , wherein the first concave lens portion has an aspherical shape. 
     
     
       8. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 1 , wherein the reflecting surface of each of the reflectors extends toward the optical axis such that a front end of the reflecting surface is disposed adjacent to a flat rear surface of the lens at a central location near the optical axis. 
     
     
       9. A vehicle lamp comprising:
 a lens disposed on an optical axis of the vehicle lamp, the optical axis extending in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp, the lens comprising a first concave lens portion; 
 a plurality of light emitting elements disposed to a rear side of the lens and around the optical axis in a circumferential direction, the plurality of light emitting elements comprising at least one first light emitting element disposed to a rear side of the first concave lens portion; 
 at least one first reflector corresponding to the at least one first light emitting element and disposed between the corresponding first light emitting element and the optical axis, 
 wherein the first reflector comprises a first reflecting surface which reflects light from the corresponding first light emitting element toward the first concave lens portion, 
 wherein the vehicle lamp further comprises at least one auxiliary reflector corresponding to the at least one first light emitting element and disposed in proximity to the at least one first light emitting element, 
 wherein the auxiliary reflector reflects light from the first light emitting element toward an associated one of the at least one first reflectors such that the light is converged at a converging point between the first light emitting element and the optical axis, 
 wherein the associated one of the first reflectors is disposed between the converging point and the optical axis, and 
 wherein a sectional shape of the first reflecting surface is an elliptical shape having a first focal point in a vicinity of the converging point and a second focal point in a vicinity of the front focal point of the first concave lens portion. 
 
     
     
       10. A vehicle lamp comprising:
 a lens disposed on an optical axis of the vehicle lamp, the optical axis extending in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp, the lens comprising a convex lens portion and a first concave lens portion, the first concave lens portion having a front focal point in front of the lens with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp; 
 a plurality of light emitting elements disposed to a rear side of the lens with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp and around the optical axis in a circumferential direction, the plurality of light emitting elements comprising at least one first light emitting element disposed to a rear side of the first concave lens portion with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp; and 
 at least one first reflector corresponding to the at least one first light emitting element and disposed between the corresponding first light emitting element and the optical axis, 
 wherein the first reflector comprises a first reflecting surface which reflects light from the corresponding first light emitting element toward the first concave lens portion, wherein a sectional shape of the first reflecting surface, taken along a plane including a light emitting center of the corresponding first light emitting element and the optical axis, is an elliptical shape, and 
 the first reflecting surface having a first focal point in a vicinity of the light emitting center of the corresponding first light emitting element and a second focal point in front of the first concave lens portion; 
 at least one second reflector, 
 wherein the plurality of light emitting elements further comprise at least one second light emitting element disposed to a rear side of the convex lens portion with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp, the at least one second reflector corresponding to the at least one second light emitting element, 
 wherein the second reflector is disposed between the corresponding second light emitting element and the optical axis, 
 wherein the second reflector comprises a second reflecting surface which reflects light from the corresponding second light emitting element toward the convex lens portion, and a sectional shape of the second reflecting surface, taken along a plane including a light emitting center of the corresponding second light emitting element and the optical axis, is a shape of one branch of a hyperbola on a side of the corresponding second light emitting element, the hyperbola having a first focal point in a vicinity of a rear focal point of the convex lens portion and a second focal point in a vicinity of the light emitting center of the corresponding second light emitting element; 
 the first concave lens portion being formed as a recess in a front surface of the convex lens portion. 
 
     
     
       11. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 10 , further comprising a third reflector, wherein the lens further comprises a second concave lens portion formed as a recess in the front surface of the convex lens portion, the second concave lens portion having a front focal point in front of the lens with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp, and the plurality of light emitting elements further comprises a third light emitting element disposed to a rear side of the second concave lens portion with respect to the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle lamp,
 wherein a part of the convex lens portion is disposed between the first concave lens portion and the second concave lens portion, 
 wherein the third reflector is disposed between the third light emitting element and the optical axis, and 
 wherein the third reflector comprises a third reflecting surface which reflects light from the third light emitting element toward the second concave lens portion, and a sectional shape of the third reflecting surface, taken along a plane including a light emitting center of the third light emitting element and the optical axis, is an elliptical shape having a first focal point in a vicinity of the light emitting center of the third emitting element and a second focal point in a vicinity of a front focal point of the second concave lens portion. 
 
     
     
       12. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 11 , wherein the first concave lens portion is disposed on an upper side of the optical axis, and the second concave lens portion is disposed on a lower side of the optical axis. 
     
     
       13. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 12 , wherein a focal length in a horizontal plane is different from a focal length in a vertical plane for each of the first concave lens portion and the second concave lens portion. 
     
     
       14. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 12 , wherein an optical axis of each of the first concave lens portion and the second concave lens portion is tilted in a tilting direction in a horizontal direction with respect to the optical axis of the vehicle lamp. 
     
     
       15. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 12 , wherein the first focal point of the hyperbola is displaced in a horizontal direction with respect to the rear focal point of the convex lens portion. 
     
     
       16. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 11 , wherein each of the first concave lens portion and the second concave lens portion has an aspherical shape, and the convex lens portion has an aspherical shape. 
     
     
       17. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 11 , wherein the first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface and the third reflecting surface extend toward the optical axis such that a front end of each of the first reflecting surface, the second reflecting surface, and the third reflecting surface is disposed adjacent to a flat rear surface of the lens at a central location near the optical axis. 
     
     
       18. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 10 , wherein the first concave lens portion has an aspherical shape, and the convex lens portion has an aspherical shape. 
     
     
       19. The vehicle lamp according to  claim 10 , wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface extend toward the optical axis such that a front end of each of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface is disposed adjacent to a flat rear surface of the lens at a central location near the optical axis.